A very cautionary tale

[raftingtigger]

Very powerful story. The lessons are many, and some not obvious. The one that hits me the most is the daughter feeling that with her dad along nothing could go wrong. It is also a lesson that the parent doesn't have a lot of control over.

We can do our best to make our offspring independent. Even little things (OK huge things to the parent) like having the child (OK, young adult) buddy with someone else can be very uncomfortable at first. But it does reduce their dependence on you.

 

[LowDrag]

I will read it as soon as they approve my account.


Wow!!! Being a father of a son that just recently did his OW cert., this event has opened my eyes to making sure that my son is trained well enough to know how to make his own decisions and not rely on me or anyone else. I feel bad and good at the same time for the family and the team of rescuers involved. I wonder if I could have kept my head about me if my daughter had been in that cave.

 

[diverrex]

My wife and I have dived the Mexican Cenotes (with a guide of course) and really liked them. I'd like to do them again someday. But I have no interest in pursuing cave diving or wreck penetration. After the recent multiple deaths in Mexico and Italy I made sure to talk with my wife and drill home the point that if in any of our dive travels any DM, guide or whoever tries to get us to go into a cave or penetrate a wreck we simply will not go.

 

[p1p]

wow, that story is quite the read.. I've done a cavern now in Florida, but it was huge (Blue Grotto). I'd never even consider a cavern that required a tight fit opening.

My hats off to you cave divers, its beautiful, and tempting, but not for me. Caverns are ok, but thats it for me...

 

[tdtaylor]

Like others, all I can say is wow. My daughter and I have trained together for several years, and I have a sense, since I have more advanced training than her (not that much- training for Dive Con), she might in some ways feel the same. It has been lingering in the back of my head after an incident a month ago, where she narced at 95 feet and I caught her and brought her back down from 35 feet. She is now off at college, and part of me has thought this is good. She'll dive with others. Man, is my brain scrambled after reading that thread. Thanks TSandM for posting this. Definitely thought provoking.

 

[CamG]

The training to safely conduct cavern and cave dives is NOT difficult to schedule.
There are many instructors on SB and through out the US and MX.
If you would like to try cavern / cave / cenote's just seek out the training.

What I can promise you is it will make you a better diver and let you be able to clearly understand the risks and train to manage them.

Lynne thank you so much for posting this!
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE TAEKN THE TIME TO READ IT!
The Cave Diving community cares about ALL divers safety!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[JamesK]

The training to safely conduct cavern and cave dives is not difficult to schedule.
There are many instructors on SB and through out the US and MX.
If you would like to try cavern / cave / cenote's just seek out the training.

What I can promise you is it will make you a better diver and let you be able to clearly understand the risks and train to manage them.

Lynne thank you so much for posting this!
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE TAEKN THE TIME TO READ IT!
The Cave Diving community cares about ALL divers safety!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

Changed one thing. Now I agree times 100.

 

[billgraham]

Wow, first time I see this. I must say it is scary. I would never imagine cavern could be like this. It is more like a drain hole at the bottom of the pond. I am surprised anyone would consider going in there, including fully trained cave divers, let alone OW diver.

Huge cave entrances like JB are kind of rare. The Twin cavern is typical of many in Florida. It's actually a really nice cave dive but it requires pretty good bouyancy and finning skills. The takeaway from this story is JUST HOW FAST things can go bad in a cave. Please stay out if you are not trained!

 

[PfcAJ]

Wow, first time I see this. I must say it is scary. I would never imagine cavern could be like this. It is more like a drain hole at the bottom of the pond. I am surprised anyone would consider going in there, including fully trained cave divers, let alone OW diver.

Its actually a pretty place. Below is a video Brian and I took a few years ago. Decent sized passage (at least the main tunnel) and clear water, but it will eat your lunch if you are not properly trained, equipped, and experienced.

Cave diving at Twin Caves - YouTube

 

[CamG]

Changed one thing. Now I agree times 100.

Thanks JamesK I am not sure what happened this morning but I am glad you took care of me!

CamG